Corbett signs law banning texting while driving

November 09, 2011|By John L. Micek | MORNING CALL HARRISBURG BUREAU

HARRISBURG -- With iPhones, smartphones and other high-tech gizmos tantalizingly within reach, Gov. Tom Corbett on Wednesday put Pennsylvania into the ranks of 30 other states that ban text-messaging and emailing behind the wheel.

"All of us have heard stories about someone who was injured or killed when they were texting behind the wheel," said Corbett, who appeared at an AT&T Wireless store in suburban Harrisburg to sign the bill into law. "Technology has brought us closer together. It's hard to find someone who doesn't own a cell phone …. or own a car. It's poor judgment to use them in combination."

The bill Corbett signed Wednesday makes texting-while-driving a primary offense, which means police can pull motorists over for that violation alone. A violation carries a $50 fine, but officers may not seize the cellphone or other device. Motorists don't get points on their license. But their insurance could be affected, officials have warned.

The new law, which takes effect in 120 days, prohibits "text-based communication on interactive communication devices, such as cellphones, for all drivers while driving a vehicle. A violation occurs if the driver sends, reads or writes a text-based communication while the vehicle is in motion."

And a text-based communication is pretty much what it sounds like. The bill defines it as a "text message, instant message, electronic mail, or other written communication composed or received on an interactive wireless device." The bill also covers Web surfing while on a smartphone.

"Distracted driving is dangerous. Texting is deadly," the bill's sponsor, Sen. Robert M. Tomlinson, R-Bucks said. The suburban Philadelphia legislator, along with a senior official from the Pennsylvania State Police and a wall of stone-faced police troopers flanked Corbett during the bill-signing.

Tomlinson told reporters he became interested in the issue after catching himself getting embroiled in a text-messaging exchange while driving down the Pennsylvania Turnpike. He was at the wheel at the time. And Corbett, who's chauffeured around the state by his own security detail, said he's seen motorists drive with their knees while they peck out a message with hands that are supposed to be on the wheel.

"It dawned on me that this was extremely dangerous," Tomlinson said. "It's more dangerous than any other form of distracted driving. We've got to get that message out to people."

Though concerns have been raised about the law's enforceability, state Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said he believes "voluntary compliance" by motorists will drive down the incidence of texting while driving. Distracted driving caused 14,000 crashes statewide in 2010. Nearly 1,100 of those crashes involved a handheld cellphone, state officials said.

In cases where drivers don't voluntarily put down the smartphones, Biven said troopers will pull over motorists who might be driving slower than surrounding traffic or bobbing and weaving — which could be a sign of texting behind the wheel.

And if drivers do feel the uncontrollable urge to text, Corbett had some simple advice: Pull over.

"There is no text message that is worth the value of a human life," he said.